Girl offered Rs 50,000 to drop rape FIR

Jan 5, 2013, 05.14AM ISTTNN[ Mrigank Tiwari ]

ALLAHABAD: A panchayat in Uttar Pradesh has offered Rs 50,000 as compensation to a 13-year-old rape victim to withdraw her police complaint against her alleged rapist. The bizarre decision was taken by a panchayat in Pratapgarh district's Mauli village on Thursday while hearing the case of the minor girl who was kidnapped, taken to Maharasthra and raped in captivity for days.

In an FIR filed with the Kunda police, the girl has alleged that a youth from her village had sexually assaulted her in the village and then kidnapped her at gunpoint. She was taken to Nagpur and raped for days. A week later she managed escape and returned home on December 27.

Sources said police were initially reluctant to lodge an FIR. "It was only after the matter was brought to the notice of the SP that an FIR was registered against the accused," said a villager.

Pratapgarh ASP R S Vishwakarma said, "A case has been registered against the accused on the basis of the victim's testimony and subsequent medical examination." But the officer feigned ignorance about the judgment pronounced by the panchayat. He said, "Some mutual settlement was being worked out between the two parties, including the girl's family and accused's family. This included marrying the girl to the boy after she attained adulthood, an offer which was turned down by girl's family."

Zila panchayat chairperson Pramod Maurya said, "The matter has been brought to my notice by some locals and it is shameful for the panchayat to take such a decision. Those responsible should be brought to book"."

A similar incident had taken place in Allahabad a few months back where a physically challenged girl was raped by some youth of her village and the panchayat had decided awarding monetary compensation to the victim in lieu of withdrawing police complaint against the accused.